Pico Central and Kela, the two best sprinters based in California, have traveled across the country to meet at Aqueduct in New York's final grade I race of 2004, Saturday's $350,000 Cigar Mile. The Cigar Mile will be the featured event on a 10-race card that includes a pair of grade II juvenile stakes, the Remsen and Demoiselle.

Bluesthestandard could use Sunday's $250,000 Ancient Title Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. I) at Oak Tree at Santa Anita Park as a springboard to his second consecutive appearance in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) at Lone Star Park in Texas on Oct. 30.

Supah Blitz, winless in nine starts this year, became a grade II winner in his first start for new trainer Doug O'Neill while all out to hold off Domestic Dispute in the $250,000 Del Mar Breeders' Cup Handicap at one mile Sunday.

Domestic Dispute, who returned from a four-month layoff with a solid second-place finish in the Pat O'Brien Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. II) last month, heads a field of seven milers in Sunday's $250,000 Del Mar Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. II).

Pleasantly Perfect, rebounding strongly from defeat three weeks ago in the San Diego Handicap (gr. II), convincingly took the centerpiece of the Del Mar meeting, the Pacific Classic (gr. I), with a scintillating turn of foot the last quarter mile.

Perfect Drift, who turned in a dynamite second-place performance in the Whitney Handicap (gr. I) at Saratoga last weekend, could be headed for the $1 million Pacific Classic (gr. I) Aug. 22 at Del Mar, too.

Pleasantly Perfect had trainer Richard Mandella smiling after seeing the Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) winner work a sharp five furlongs in one minute flat Tuesday. Pleasantly Perfect, second in the San Diego Handicap (gr. II), is preparing for Del Mar's $1 million Pacific Classic (gr. I) Aug. 22.

Robert Bone's undefeated Choctaw Nation earned his reservation for the $1 million Pacific Classic (gr. I) with a powerful rally to mow down Pleasantly Perfect and capture the $250,000 San Diego Handicap (gr. II) at Del Mar Sunday.

Pleasantly Perfect always fires when he's fresh and the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) winner, out of action since winning the Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) in March, is training as though he'll be ready for Sunday's $250,000 San Diego Handicap (gr. II) At Del Mar Sunday.

As expected, the names of Pleasantly Perfect and Medaglia d'Oro were the standouts among the 12 declarations for the world's richest horse race, Saturday night's 10-furlong Dubai World Cup (UAE-I) on the Nad Al Sheba dirt. Meanwhile, From The Sky, a group 1 winner in his native Argentina, was a surprise absentee among the UAE Derby declarations.

Fourteen of the United States' best older horses have departed on flights from Los Angeles and Florida for the world's richest racing meeting later this month, the Dubai Racing Club confirmed Saturday.

Domestic Dispute, who hadn't reached the winner's circle in more than a year, rallied in spite of trouble in the stretch run to defeat During and his former trainer Bob Baffert by a neck in the $300,000 Strub Stakes (gr. II) for 4-year-olds at Santa Anita Saturday.

A change in the weather proved fortuitous for trainer Paco Gonzalez and Buckland Manor, who enters Saturday's $300,000 Strub Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita off a two-length victory in the Sir Beaufort, which was switched from the turf to the main track Dec. 26 due to rain.

James McIngvale's During fought off several challenges in the stretch and scored a one-length victory Saturday in the $221,800 San Fernando Breeders' Cup Stakes (gr. II) for 4-year-olds at Santa Anita Park.

Bob Baffert, who won the 1998 San Fernando Breeders' Cup Stakes (gr. II) with Kentucky Derby winner Silver Charm, has 30% of the10-horse field set to go in the $200,000 middle leg of the prestigious Strub Series at Santa Anita Park Saturday.

Joseph Vitello's ultra-consistent Tenpins, a multiple stakes winner that has been worse than second only twice in 15 career races, is a slight favorite in a strong field of 14 older horses entered in Friday's 129th and richest running of Churchill Downs' $500,000-added Clark Handicap (gr. II).

The field for Friday's 129th running of the $500,000-added Clark Handicap (gr. II) added another member on Tuesday when trainer Jerry Hollendorfer notified Churchill Downs officials that Cappuchino, winner of the Ack Ack Handicap (gr. III) at Churchill Downs on opening day, would likely run in the 1 1/8-mile test for older horses.

James McIngvale's During avenged a disappointing Aqueduct finish earlier this year by holding off Unforgettable Max to notch a hard-fought nose victory in Wednesday's $111,800 Discovery Handicap (gr. III), the nine-furlong feature on opening day of Aqueduct's fall meet.

Husband and wife John and Tonja Terranova enjoyed a nice weekend at Belmont when James McIngvale's During scored in the Jerome (gr. II) and Gatsas Thoroughbreds' Gander won a $58,000 allowance in game fashion.

Trainer Bob Baffert trusted the instincts of his long-time friend, Tonja Terranova, and the result was a three-quarter-length victory for During in Saturday's $150,000 Jerome Handicap (gr. III) for 3-year-olds.

With a desperate lunge in the final strides, Valid Video and jockey Joey Bravo had just enough to nip Great Notion at the wire in Saturday's $200,000 King's Bishop (gr. I) for 3-year-old sprinters at Saratoga.

The $200,000 King's Bishop, a seven-furlong stake for three-year-olds, has been a chalk player's delight the last four years. But if the likely favorites Saturday, Zavata and Posse, a pair of multiple graded stakes winners, want to keep that trend going, they better have their "A" game.

Stonerside Stables' homebred Congaree emerged from his three-length victory in Sunday's Hollywood Gold Cup (gr. I) in good shape, trainer Bob Baffert said, but that no plans have been made for a next start for the 5-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Arazi.